Daemon Rising with a Smash!
by DarkSoul26
Summary: Daemon has finally come to Mainframe! The Guardians have begun the invasion to find the rogue Guardian, Bob, and use him to uphold "The Word." Akari summons the Smashers and they wage war against the supervirus and her cronies. Will they withstand the infection and achieve victory?
1. WARNING! Incoming Gurdians?

**Chapter 1 - WARNING! Incoming...Guardians?**

Deep in the vast space of the Web, a humongous, yellow spaceship was found wandering aimlessly with no particular destination. It was patrolling the universe for any signs of danger that would be a threat to the fellow citizens of the Net. The pilot was a female in a red, orange cyber suit with a green visor. She was the bounty hunter, Samus Aran.

So far it'd been very quiet ever since Megabyte was thrown into a portal while being mauled by a Web Creature. They usually hunt for sustenance and travel in enormous packs, protecting their "digital domain," as Ray would call it.

Content, she decided to steer to Mainframe where her best friend, Bob, Guardian 452, was located in. She couldn't wait to see him and his friends again. She reminisced when she first saved his life after he was trapped inside a capsule which was launched by his rival. She was circling the planet as she saw him and immediately used her tractor beam to take him into the haul. The most stunning thing was that he didn't have his keytool, Glitch. So it was up to her to take care of him until he was well enough to meet Enzo, now known as Matrix, and the others. She eventually found some Deformed Sprites who were rebels to the Web Creatures and who were also on exile like him. Although they never spoke any English, she could understand them as they spoke in dial tones. So she recruited them to help her look after Bob, find his comrades, and save the Net.

Just then an alarm brought her out of her reverie. She pressed a button on her dashboard and spoke to the Intercom. "Samus, we've got trouble!" It was a distress call coming from Mainframe and Dot, the commander of the Principle's Office, was calling.

"Oh, hey, Dot. I was just on my way to visit you...What do you mean by trouble?" Samus's face clouded as she heard the news.

"I've sent Matrix and AndrAIa to patrol the System. Unfortunately, we're under attack!"

"By who?!" Samus was shocked at the news. She thought it would be Megabyte again, but, unfortunately, it was nothing she'd expected.

"It's the Guardians! They're heading straight for us! Hurry-!"

Suddenly there was nothing but static, and since her equipment never fails, she was horrified.

"Why are they attacking Mainframe? Who's in charge of all this!"

She shook her head to clear it. "No matter. I won't attack them. I'll just watch them and find out who's making them do what they're doing. Something's not right. I have to go."

Hopeless, she sighed and set a course to Mainframe as fast as the engines would carry her.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry if this chapter's short, but I'm stirring the pot. The good stuff will happen later.**


	2. Assault on Mainframe

**Chapter 2 - Assault on Mainframe**

As Samus was heading to Mainframe she saw a few small armies of Web Creatures heading toward her ship. An alarm went off indicating that and she took the helm as she was shooting them to space dust. At first there were the hammer-head shark classes, but then they grew tougher. Others were more sophisticated like the rebellious Web Riders. There was actually a large group of the hammer-heads forming into a large entity. Fortunately, due to Samus's massive plasma cannon, they degenerated. Soon they retreated and it was smooth sailing, until she saw a horrible sight.

The System was being demolished by the Guardians. Raids were coming from large jets soaring in groups, and on the other side were Binomes who were protecting the Principal's Office. As she surveyed the damage she saw that the Control Tower was destroyed in the Kits sector. It was the main reason why she lost Dot's call. But the strangest thing was there was a doorway in the sky. This was not good because it could leave Mainframe on-line and vulnerable to enemy attack, or worse Daemon's infection. She then realized that the Guardians were using doors instead of portals.

"Whatever happened to their keytools...? Unless, could they have abandoned them?" She began to worry about the Guardians' actions; she believed that the super virus was behind all this. Alll the rumors she heard were true, especially from a good friend of hers as she called on the Intercom.

"Akari, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me!"

Akari had short, brown hair and she wore a pink shirt with the SSB logo on it. She was from somewhere in the Net, training her Pokemon as she took them to very exotic places. She always went by her motto as she always wanted to take them "where no Pokemon, or no trainer has gone before."

One day she was sending all her Pokemon from Professor Oak's lab to the wide-open fronter where she lived with Mewtwo. While she was doing it, she suddenly got sucked into the computer itself and wound up in Mainframe. She hurriedly brought some Pokemon with her, just so they could eventually get used to it for thefirst few cycles.

Since then she became Bob's assistant, fighting off viruses and users. She was also the one who summoned Samus as the System was in peril during the war against the Web. It was then she used some of her Pokemon to look after Enzo and his friends until Bob was well. But as she grew older she decided to lend them to Red's care. She continued talking as the assault raged on.

"Samus, there is something you should know. Y'know the rumors surrounding Daemon taking control of the Guardians and infecting the Net?"

Samus nodded.

"It's true! The super virus has infected other Systems as well, just like the same way she's trying to do here. Dot's trying her best to seal the others with a Firewall, but I'm not sure if they could be strong enough to...Wait! Why are they stopping!"

Sure enough the ships stood still. And Samus saw Bob who was in front of the Armada. Matrix, and AndrAIa were also in the mix. On the other side a translucent face of a Guardian appeared.

It spoke "Your time has come. Lay down your arms, join with us!"

Bob realized it was Cardon, his roommate at the Academy.

"Why is he mixed up in all this?" Samus thought. He talked again.

"That was the past. Now there is no past, no future, only the Word. And the Word is Daemon." He smiled at the sensation of being infected, although she realized it was her worst nightmare.

The Guardians were being brainwashed by the infection as she saw some streaks of glowing green lines on his face. She swore that Bob will never be one of them and that she will protect him at all costs.

Infuriated, Matrix shouted "I've had enough!"

Just then a barrage of missles shot out from his aircraft and they started to hit the ships on the opposing side. Cardon's signal was no more, and the onslaught was on again. Samus couldn't possibly help them shoot down the Guardians. They were a vital part in defending the other Systems, and she kept remembering how Bob loathes people, even viruses, getting deleted. So she had no choice but to watch from above.

A few moments later, the sky turned purple and radical lightning started to flash. There was a digital female that kept saying "Warning, Incoming Game." It was a signal that a Game Cube was coming. Just then an enormous, electrocuting, purple cube was dropping onto the battlefield; the combatants didn't really care of what's happening, except Bob who ordered Matrix and AndrAIa to persue it.

As the cube was falling, she zoomed in on an individual who was running away from the sector. It was Akari and she saw Samus's ship. She waved her hands, telling her that she needed to be taken up for safety. She did just in time before the Cube landed.

She materialized inside the haul in a bright, silvery tube. She ran to the cockpit and warned Samus

"I think the Guardians didn't see us, but we should go just in case."

She nodded in approval. "I agree. There's nothing we could do but watch and wait. We still have to keep our eyes peeled and see what happens. With Daemon, she could possibly do anything. I've never dealt with a super virus before."

"What about the Mother Brain or Ridley...or even your dark self...?"

"Those were just mere tools...they are nothing compared to this. We should watch closely and avoid being detected." With that she inititiated her cloaking device that Slippy gave to her. It worked like a charm as no one, not even the Guardians could see her.

She then noticed that Bob was still in the fray but was using his powers to contain the Guardians' ships. However, something was wrong. After each blast, his body started to fade in and out and he was losing energy.

"What's happening?" Akari asked.

Samus guessed that it had to do with the merging of his keytool. She had a flashback of him doing it because it was a last resort in making a portal to Mainframe. At the time the Saucy Mare was caught in a Web trap created by Mouse, fortunately they all made it safely.

After the Game Cube landed with a deafening boom, the sky turned back to normal. Samus and Akari continued to watch the fray as they were trying to figure out who or what they're dealing with.

* * *

**A/N: Akari is a Japanese name for a girl, meaning light and brightness. I thought it could be a nice touch. She is my OC, after all. Now you know a little something about my past. I always imagined bringing Pokemon to many unknown places, and I'd been fantasizing about helping Bob out with Samus. And now I'm writing about it, whoop whoop! Anyways, I hope you're enjoying this fic and I should warn you that...Well, everyone knows the story in Daemon Rising and so I've decided to put it in a different POV. More is yet to come, so stand by. Ciao.**


	3. Get 'N or Get Out

**Disclaimer: I should let you know that I do NOT own Reboot or Super Smash Bros. They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 3 - Get 'N or Get Out**

While the assault of the Guardians were still going on, the Super Computer was being infected under the super virus's control. It had a massive golden tower and twelve subsystems connected by bridges. They were arranged in a clockwise fashion. The structure was shining bright and it was glowing green thanks to Daemon's infection.

Inside of the tower was an enormous room where a pendulum was swinging slowly. It was the Master Room which was the central control center of the System. It could also control other neighboring Systems and it provides people with powerful weapons and equipment. The pendulum was a gigantic circle with spikes protruding out of it. The symbol itself represented Daemon who was sitting quitely on her throne.

Just then a tall Guadian wearing a long, purple robe walked up to her. He also had a long orange mustache and beard while holding a staff with the same symbol as the pendulum's. Like all the other Guardians, he too was infected. He stopped in front of her and spoke in a deep voice. "My Lady."

In response she opened her eyes. She had long blue hair, a skinny figure, and also a French accent. The Guardian, Daecon, spoke again.

"We have opened another System. It...it resists the Word."

Amazed, Daemon said "Impossible. Show me."

Just then an image appeared behind her throne showing the Guardian's ships being shot down. The super virus thought aloud.

"Why do they suffer needlessly, when the Word is inevitable."

Daecon informed her of the situation, why Mainframe has the upper hand. "There's more to it, My Lady. We found him. We have a signal lock on Guardian 452." The image shown him containing the Armada.

Daemon spoke in awe. "Bob. The finest Guardian..."

The Guardian continued "He has done the unthinkable and joined with his Key Tool."

"They are inseperable?"

"Yes, My Lady. He is the perfect messenger...for the Word."

Daemon requested him in a sinister tone "Prepare a Zoom Room. Bring my messenger 'ome."

With that, he went straight to work.

* * *

Unbeknowst to them, someone was watching them on top of the tower's steeple. A black stick figure was looking down from his binoculars and nodded in confirmation. When he moved, however, he made a ticking sound. The stalker hailed from the world of Smash; he was known as Mr. Game &amp; Watch.

He then took out a small control pad which was also shrouded in black. He hurriedly typed and sent a message to Samus's spaceship.

A ringing sound was heard inside and Akari picked it up. The message read:

**"Urgent: Daemon found. Request permission to remove Guardian."**

"Permission granted. May I ask...who is sending this message?" She said in doubt.

Just then the screen shifted to Game &amp; Watch. She and Samus couldn't believe it!

"Samus, it's Mr. Game &amp; Watch! How did you get to the Super Computer without being detected!"

He scratched his face in thought.

"Who sent you?" Samus asked.

Since he could never speak he instead made hand gestures. It was like playing a game of Charades. First he was pointing to his open palm.

"Was it him? Did Master Hand sent you?" Akari guessed, Game &amp; Watch nodded, clicking as he went.

"How does Master Hand know about Daemon...? Unless...you told him!" She protested to Samus.

"No, I didn't tell anyone! I swear." She raised her hands in denial.

Her friend remained calm as she sighed. "I just don't want any more victims. The last thing we want is to let them be infected. We should check the System."

"Great idea!" Samus agreed. "But..."

Before she could continue she and Akari saw Bob fade in and out as he started to fall. "Oh no! Should we help him!"

Samus answered "Wait! Someone's got him."

Sure enough someone did catch him. She was a virus with brown skin, horns and wings, and a white mask which almost looked like a clown's; it was Hexadecimal. Relieved that she was here to help they watch her warp to his apartment in the Kits sector. However, the peace was short-lived as a small tv binome showed up. He was the annoying Mike the TV, jabbering about nothing as usual. The two women could've sworn he was deleted during the System Crash.

"So, Samus, you were saying it's a good idea to check out the Smash world. But what made you hesitate?"

The bounty hunter was a little shaky when she talked about her plan. "We could investigate Smash, but someone has to hold the fort and report what Daemon is up to, in case Mr. Game &amp; Watch calls again."

"Well, we have to decide soon before the System gets sealed with a Firewall. Does that mean we have to split up?"

Before Samus could answer, she and Akari saw an unusual sight.

A small, neon blue cube of energy descended fast from the open door and snatched Bob away.

"She's got him!" they both said in shock.

Fortunately, a few nanoseconds later, he was brought back in the same place.

Apparently Hex was able to save him, but Mike disappeared as well. Akari ordered "Game &amp; Watch, monitor Daemon for awhile. I'm sure she has made the first catch of the day."

He clicked as he saluted.

* * *

From the top of the tower he saw Mike emerge in the center of the Clock Room where the super virus, Daecon, and a few monsters with silver masks were watching. From the looks of things, the binome had no idea where he was.

"Am I deleted?" he spoke.

"Deleted? No. You are in the Super Computer." Daemon replied.

"Oh, that's a relief. Where is it? Well I always wanted to visit the Super Computer, heard so much about it. Did I mention I'm Mike the TV. I just wanted to check the sights-y'know the...tourist thing. I can see you're busy, I'd just be in the way here. Hey, nice to meet you." As he turned to leave, he realized he's talking to Daemon.

Startled he asked "You're Daemon, aren't you?"

Then she stepped down from her throne, but as she put her foot on the ground, green lines of energy spreaded out and hit him. Then he declared "I've had heard the Word! And the Word is Daemon!"

Then he started to grovel as he hid his shame, wishing that Bob was here. Then as Daecon left, the virus and the binome started to talk about the 'messenger.'

"Looks like she's got her first victim." Akari observed.

Samus was somehow not alarmed about it. "She just got Mike, what's so bad about it?"

"What's so bad about it! Alright, he may be harmless but y'know how he is. He's a jabbermouth, he can reveal our secrets, including Bob and Hex. And you're telling me not to worry about it?"

Samus became embarassed from Akari's outrage. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize he would be a threat."

"No time for sympathizing, we need to think of who is going to stay and who will go to the Smash System."

Just then they saw a war jet soar toward the door. It was the hacker, Mouse, and she is shooting some projectiles around it.

"This is it! The seal is activating. You're gonna have to stay here!" Samus ordered.

"What? Why do I have to stay?"

"Because you could monitor the System from here. I'll let Game &amp; Watch know you're staying behind. I'll get the reinforcements if you need them."

Akari reluctantly agreed and before Hex tossed the bundle of the Guardian Armada through the hole, Samus pressed a button which unleashed a capsule with Akari inside. The parachute opened as it descended and Samus managed to escape before the door was sealed. Just then the sky turned yellow as a red sphere was shown after Hex's heroic move.

* * *

While the Guardians were ejected from the System and floating in space the capsule landed gently next to the apartment, much to Bob's surprise. She struggled to open it but eventually found a lock. She opened it and there was some smoke as she stepped out. She then saw the Guardian as he was being fueled by a medical staff.

"Akari! What're you doing here?"

Bashfully, she rubbed her neck.

"Ahhh...I just decided to drop in from an...undetected spaceship."

Bob knew exactly what she was referring to. "Was it her? Was Samus here?"

"Til just a nanosecond ago. We decided to split becuase she didn't want to interfere with the Armada, and she's going to check on her homeworld to make sure that it hasn't been infected. I stayed because..." she hesitated. She was too nervous in talking about her and Samus's plan.

"What? What is it?" Before she could answer Hex landed and did a pose as she yelled "Ta-da!"

"Thanks, Hex!" Bob applauded.

She didn't mind as she asked the binomes to give him all the energy he needed; she's not quite sure why he was getting weaker after each use of his powers.

She got a call on her cellular; since it was from Samus, she could talk to anyone with no static whatsoever. The message was from Game &amp; Watch and from all the moves he was doing, he was very anxious. Since it would take a long time to explain, he held his pad over the main room. She could hear Daecon talking about his failure in catching Bob and, most seriously, how Mainframe was now protected from her infection and the Guardian assault. Mike intervened that Hex was the one responsible for saving the System, Akari had a really bad feeling.

_I told her he would somehow reveal our secrets._ she thought.

"Alright, Game &amp; Watch. I want you to go and hide somewhere so she won't see you. Thanks for the alert, but please be careful."

She heard some buzzing from him, she knew he understood and she decided to call the bounty hunter. She dialed her ship and she explained everything Game &amp; Watch did. "This is not good. You should get Game &amp; Watch outta there right now."

"I already did. He's on his way out. Did you make it out alright?"

"Yeah I did. I'm gonna check on the System now. Let me know what happens down there, okay?"

"Sure thing, Akari out. And Bob says hi."

"Right, right...I'll call you in a nano." She ended the call and when Akari put her cell away, she saw that Hex was changing!

Her PID was glowing and her once brown skin is turning white. Bob tried to stop the spread but he got shocked and fell down.

"Uh oh! Guys get him somewhere safe-uh...the Principal's Office! On the double! NOW!"

They did as they grabbed Bob and filled him with energy, Akari was with them, leaving Hex helpless as she was engulfed with Nulls.

* * *

A few nanos later, they were there and she was explaining about the first Nullzilla to Enzo after Phong gave him a DVD. Unfortunately, he could barely hear her since Matrix was confronting Bob about giving the virus a PID and forcing him into the Game.

"Um, maybe we should talk about it somewhere else. What do ya say?"

But before they got to the Read-Only room they heard something strange come from the VidWindow. The last Null crawled into the large mass and it formed a mouth as it spoke: "I live! Daughter, help!"

Enzo, Matrix, and Dot were shocked of what they found. That voice was their father's, Wellman Matrix!

After Dot explained his failed experiment, resulting his deletion along with the Twin City, Akari escorted Enzo, Frisket, Hack, and Slash where they could watch the movie in peace. She then thought of an idea; when Samus gets reinforcements, she'll educate the Smashers the same way Enzo is doing.

"Surely they'll know who we're dealng with." she thought aloud.

Before she got to the room, however, she eavesdropped on Dot's plan in sealing other Systems with Firewalls. She then called Samus again and said to hurry up.

"Samus, if you want to gather the reinforcements now's the time."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because Matrix and AndrAIa are going to protect the uninfected Systems with Firewalls. No one could get in or out without a portal, so you'd better do it quick!"

"Alright, I'll alert the fighters right away. I'm not sure what we'll do with the already infected Systems. Where should I be after that?"

Akari told her in a whisper so no one could hear. She then hung up and wondered, _Samus...I hope it doesn't take a turn for the worst._

She walked to Enzo and the others while they were watching the battle with Nullzilla and a gigantic, transformed cyborg.

* * *

**A/N: Guess where I got the inspiration for this title. I'll give you three seconds, nanoseconds is what Mainframers would say. 3...2...1...!**

**Get it? It's actually the motto when the Nintendo 64 came out. The original Super Smash Bros. was released a few years later.**


	4. Cross ROADS, The Dilemma with Daemon

**Chapter 4 - Cross ROADS, The Dilemma with Daemon**

Not listening to Akari's advice, Mr. Game &amp; Watch decided to keep an eye on Daemon. Unfortunately, what he got was an earful of irritation. There seemed to be a gospel choir involving the Guardian Sentries and Mike the TV was the lead. It was technically about how Daemon caught him and most of all, her goodey-two-shoes method of infecting the Net. Game &amp; Watch couldn't stand it so, until the song finished, he held his microscopic ears in annoyance. Even though he has a black stature, you could barely see that his face was growing red as a beet.

A few nanos later the song ended. What he saw was stunning as he saw the two rows of Guardians hold an egg-shaped device. He recognized them as Seeds and whenever Daemon touched them, they turned from pink to a viral green. Ever the curious one, he decided to find out what those Seeds are being used for.

Meanwhile in the Net, Matrix and AndrAIa were activating Firewalls in the same way Mouse did to Mainframe. What they didn't notice was Samus' ship, which was cruising in the opposite direction as to where the two Spites were heading. She hoped that she won't be too late in informing her special forces before the System gets sealed.

Back at the War Room, Mouse, Bob, and Phong were monitoring their progress. They've noticed that most of the Systems have not been infected, but rather the pathways. They found out as they turned into a normal blue when the Firewalls were activated. Mouse was confused as why Daemon was only infecting the pathways, while Phong was shocked of the fact that Daemon could infect the entire Net without deleting herself. While the conversation was going on, Dot was preoccupied of how Hex got succumbed by the Null Cocoon.

The female hacker was also nervous as to why the Guardians were using doorways instead of portals to do Daemon's bidding. Dot retorted that it was a weakness they need to exploit.

Soon the Null Cocoon was growing rampant as a sergeant binome alerted the Principal's Office. Bob and Dot both decided to check it out. Unbeknowst to them, Akari was listening to everything. Fortunately Enzo and his friends were so busy watching the movie that no one noticed. As she heard every word, she immediately texted Samus. She then typed back that she is at the Smash System; unfortunately she will have to make an unexpected appearance along with Master Hand, since most of the Smashers are involved in a tourney.

* * *

Sure enough, they were. It would seem unlikely since there was usually a one-on-one battle, but Bowser was terrorizing the Mushroom Kingdom while the plumber brothers, Mario and Luigi, and Princess Peach were keeping him at bay. Sometimes the turf is inactive but it would eventually have enormous Bullet Bills land on the castle's tower, waiting to explode. There were also some little platforms that will eventually turn to question mark squares in which items will be found.

Once Samus reached her destination, she fired a plasma beam straight toward the Koopa King, knocking him off the tower. He then plumetted to the ground and was stunned by the impact. From below a bunch of Goombas showed up and took him away in a stretcher, however since it was too heavy, they didn't have much luck.

The trio started to giggle until they were interrupted by the bounty hunter exiting from the cockpit. She came out from the roof and jumped to the ground. They were amazed to see her, especially in an unexpected fashion.

"Samus! Is that you?" Mario gasped.

"What are you doing here?" Peach added.

"Whatever it is, it must be important." Suddenly Luigi turned scared. "Y-you're not here to fight us are you?"

She grew impatient of his constant whining. _Why can't he be like his older brother?_ she thought as she rolled her eyes.

"Relax, greenie. That's not why I'm here. Unfortunately we got bigger fish to fry than each other."

The three defenders were curious as they muttered to themselves.

"We?"

"You mean there is more trouble than this stupid tournament?"

"Does it have to deal with Master Hand?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys. One at a time." Samus spoke to keep the clatter down. "Yes, Mario. You go first."

He put his hand down as he asked if Master Hand summoned her. She nodded "You could say that. Look, I'm here to tell you that..."

Suddenly there was a large boom and before the quartet knew it, the almighty deity showed up right in front of them. He didn't look much, just a large white glove floating in midair. As they knew, he was in charge of everything operating in the Smash System.

Even though he had no mouth, he still spoke in a deep tone "You rang?"

Samus stuttered at his sudden appearance. "Uh-yeah, I did." In a nanosecond, she regained her composure and explained. "Ahem. In case you haven't known there is an enormous threat that will eventually consume us. Daemon is at it with her infection, or the Word as she likes to call it." she said sacastically. "But the main reason is, we need to prepare ourselves and hurry before this world gets sealed by a Firewall. My friends Matrix and AndrAIa are on the way, and I need to gather some recruits before it's too late. Once the Firewall is activated there is no getting out, unless if there is a highly skilled hacker...or a portal." She then thought about Bob and his condition.

Master Hand sighed. "I understand you're urgency. I will help you find the warriors you need. Time is of the essence, we must act quickly. How's my small colleague, is he alright?"

"Yes, he's fine, but not for long. Daemon could trace him in any nanosecond. She's got Mike the TV already, I'm afraid who else she could catch next. And I've sworn to protect the Guardian with all my life, he can't possibly lose this fight."

"Your determination is contagious. I've sent Mr. Game &amp; Watch to the Super Computer to check on her. Unfortunately the Armada is going full swing. He just sent me a photo of them holding an egg-shaped object. I'm afraid this is how they will help Daemon spread her infection throughout the Net."

"How are they going to use these objects?" Samus asked in wonder.

* * *

At this very nanosecond, a Guardian airship crash landed in the Satellite System. It was being persued by Matrix and AndrAIa as they ran after the female pilot. She was heading to the Principal's Office where, unlike the rest of the buildings, it's satellite dish was ten times larger. It was responsible for monitoring the entire System.

The Core was empty and there was no one in sight; the two chasers assumed that she deleted everyone so she could carry out her function with no interference. She was just about to insert the object until they stopped her.

"Stop. We don't want to hurt you." AndrAIa assured the intruder in a calm voice.

She replied "You can't hurt me. The Word is with me, always."

Matrix wasn't convinced as he took out his Gun. "Suit yourself."

But before he could shoot it, his lover stopped him. "Matrix, that's not helping." Then she spoke calmly again. "I'm AndrAIa. Tell me about...the Word."

The Guardian looked perplexed. "The Word? My Lady, Daemon?"

The game sprite recognized the name as Matrix explained it once to her, then she went on. "Yes, Daemon. What is she like?"

The Guardian zoned out. "Daemon..." She immediately remembered what she had to do and she held the Sprites back.

In anger, Matrix pointed the Gun at her again but the Guardian loaded the Seed and deleted herself as she ran into the Core's fatal energy.

* * *

Back at the Super Computer, Daecon informed his mistress that Mainframe has protected another hub. As she shown her hourglass, which was almost empty, she spoke. "Time is against them. They do not realize that it is only too late."

He continued that not all Systems have been seeded and that it's impossible to carry out her infection further without using portals. "Only my Messenger can help us now." Daemon answered.

"Then Mainframe...must fall."

She then ordered him to lock on to Matrix and AndrAIa's icons and send a Zoom Room once they get into her planned System. "It is time for Matix and AndrAIa to hear the Word." she sneered.

At the top of the tower, Mr. Game &amp; Watch decided to call his stakeout quits. He started to slowly climb down to the base without making a ruckus. Unfortunately he was nervous snce whenever he moved, he always made a clicking sound.

So he decided to take the risk and jump off. Fortunately he didn't end up deleting himself since he was using a black parasol as he slowly floated down to the floor. After he landed he searched for a way to get out of the System. He remembered Daemon's plan about locking on a person's icon, but lucky for him, he never had one.

As he saw the Guardians board their ships, he ran to one of them and managed to get into the store room under the cockpit. He climbed up the small ramp and when it started to lift off, it closed up. He was now a stowaway and he must warn Matrix and AndrAIa about the super virus's plot.

* * *

In the Read-Only Room, Enzo and the others were watching a clip from Game Over. The Strolling Player who played the little Sprite was fighting against a User in a Game. It was the Gods, Mortals, and Demons Game as he lost when he was fighting the fire demon. Soon the Cube lifted off as a mechanical voice, poorly, said that the User won and the Sector was destroyed. Then it shifted to a scene in which Dot cried for the loss of his little brother.

Hack and Slash followed through as Enzo and Akari were eating bags of micro-chips. As they stopped he assured them that everything was okay, as he explained he turned into Matrix. Slash remembered when he got rid of Megabyte, but Hack got scared.

"D-don't mention that name!" he pleaded. Apparently he didn't want to remember serving him, and Akari couldn't blame him.

During the confrontation Phong came in. "Ahhh, Young Enzo. Hard at work I see."

Then the child got pissed off. "Geez! Everyone keeps calling me Young Enzo this, or Little Enzo that. Well it's gonna stop!"

Phong was taken aback about his new attitude. "My child what's the problem?"

He went on. "I've just watched all the things I've done. I'm a Guardian now and I'm big, with a cool gun and a babe for a girlfriend. No one's going to call me Litle Enzo ever again."

At that moment, a strange thing happened. Enzo's clothes changed. He was now wearing a gray, thick uniform and his icon changed from white and black to gold and black, and he wasn't wearing his trademark cap. Proudly with his hands on his hips, he declared "From now on you can call me...Little Matrix!" Akari and the others were flabbergasted at his new appearance, however, she thinks that there could be some hope in him after all.

As Phong left, she asked Enzo a personal question. "Hey, Enzo?"

"Yes?"

"Ahh...I was just wondering...Who was your father, Wellman I think?"

He sulked until he got the courage to say what he needed to say. "About a few Cycles ago...my dad was a scientist. His dream was to explore the Web, to see if we're the only ones living there. Since travelling was dangerous, he decided to create an experiment. He wanted to make portals so that people would visit those other so-called Systems, if there was any."

As he stopped, she asked. "Was he successful?" His eyes drooped as he shook his head slowly. Then he told everyone the horrific news.

* * *

Back then Mainframe had two cities, this one and another that looked just like it. The other metropolis was known as the Twin City and they existed side by side. At the original Mainframe, Dot and a couple of binomes were building her new business, Dot's Diner. Back then her hair was all colorful instead of the usual black, and her clothes matched it. Enzo was wearing a beady hat instead of his usual red hat, and he was a few inches tinier. Plus Frisket was only a puppy.

Enzo complained that they were going to be late for their dad's experiment, but before they got to it the Twin City's Principal's Office exploded. The impact shook the other city and debris was flying everywhere.

At the midst of the destruction there were two viruses standing over the rubble. One was Hexadecimal, while the other was just as big and muscular. He had purple armor with a greenish grin. He also had a red scale at the back of his head and on his chest were green lines that drew evil eyes and a mouth. He was known as Hex's brother and he was the notorious virus, Megabyte.

They admired their destruction and they literally tore the place apart. Soon the Twin City was nothing but a mystery.

When Dot, Enzo, and Frisket came to, they alerted the System and surveyed the damage. To their horror, the other System was completely obliterated. All it left behind were many fatal energy spheres known as tears. As they investigated in an area known as Lost Angles, someone came out of a portal which appeared out of nowhere. The person was blue skinned, had short, gray hair, and a spiffy blue and yellow outfit. He was also wearing a gold and yellow icon and he had a Key Tool on his right arm.

He asked if the three Sprites were alright, but Dot was not impressed. She immediately cried as she accused him of destroying the Twin City. He didn't flinch and he calmly explained that he came to help. He introduced himself as Bob, Guardian 452. And he was looking for a virus known as Killabyte. Unbeknowst that the virus had seperated into two entities, and the rest was history.

* * *

As Enzo finished telling his tale, Akari was astonished. "Wow. So that was when you first met him, huh?"

"Yeah...I wish I could at least see my dad...one last time..."

He then started to burst into tears and everyone tried to say soothing words to calm him down.

"Don't worry Enzo-I mean, Matrix. I'm sure you'll see him someday. Besides, I think your sister may be working on a plan to bring him back." Then her face lightened up. "Hey! I bet I could ask Samus to help out, eh? What do ya think?"

Enzo sniffed. "You think so?"

"Yeah! Samus knows a lot about the Net, she's a bounty hunter, after all." She patted his shoulder as she spoke. "I'll let her know after we get this war over with, huh? What do ya say?"

"Really? Alphanumeric! Thanks, Akari!"

"That's a promise...and a secret." she added.

A few nanos later a Game Cube was coming down in the Kits Sector and while Enzo and the others persued it, Akari alerted Samus once again.

* * *

**A/N: In case you haven't noticed, the scenarios in Cross Nodes have been rearranged. If this story is getting confusing, I apologize. I'm just getting all the good stuff and omitting some of the boring scenes. **

**What does Master Hand know about Daemon? And what would happen to Matrix, AndrAIa, and Mr. Game &amp; Watch? Find out on the next chapter. This will be the second to last episode of Cross Nodes. I still have no idea why they would call it Cross Nodes instead of Cross "Roads." Stay tuned.**


	5. The Recruitment Begins

**Chapter 5 - The Recruitment Begins!**

**A/N: This is when the Smashers get chosen for the Net War. Now it's going to be most of the characters, including the hidden ones, but some of them will be omitted. **

**Oh and a word to the wise, when I was thinking about Marth's scenario I was a bit rusty on Fire Emblem. This part kept reminding me about my failure in the Event Match En Garde, and how Link was chosen for Soul Calibur instead of Marth. I was so jealous, and he may be a little OOC, so you've been warned. On with the story.**

* * *

Back at the Mushroom Kingdom, Master Hand was discussing about the Seeds that Daemon was using. Samus was the first to speak.

"How do you know all this? About the Seeds and your plan to send Game &amp; Watch to the Super Computer? You must have had a good reason since you're putting his life in danger!" Samus was furiated when she talked about the little two-dimensonal sprite.

He tried to compose himself as he said "I've sent Game &amp; Watch to the Super Computer to spy on Daemon. And since he has a small frame-like figure, he could easily not be detected. He was one of our...imperfect Smashers, but I saved him from deletion-"

"Okay okay, we got it! Now my second question. How did you know about the Seeds? Have you seen them before?"

Master Hand hesitated as his hand drooped. Whatever he was going to say wasn't going to be easy for them to hear.

"Everyone, I have a secret to tell you. You may share it with your fellow comrades, but no one else. Understood?"

They all nodded and he pressed on.

"My fellow Smashers...you know I was chosen to govern this world, correct? There was a reason for that. In the past, I was interested in becoming a full-fledged Guardian. Since I'm only a single hand, I wasn't capable of doing very much. Plus I was constantly harassed because of my unique stature. I've always wanted to do more. I wanted more power, more attributes. So eventually I enlisted myself personally to the Super Computer where the Academy was taken place. I passed all the tests with flying colors, and the Prime Guardian was impressed of my work. In fact, I was so good that I actually graduated earlier than the other Cadets. He wanted to give me a Key Tool but, since I was just a hand and not a regular sprite, I declined. In order to give me the same abilities in which a Guardian uses, I stole one of them and downloaded it, which I ended up being merged."

Samus was shocked. "That's the same thing that Bob did! Daemon could be after you!"

"That's true, but she doesn't know that. Guys...I'm the Guardian of the Smash System. I can form portals, mend tears, even download stats of everything I see. I'm a living, breathing Guardian Key Tool!"

Everyone gasped and when it started to subside, Mario told him. "Please, we need to gather the other fighters before we get-a-trapped. We'll be protected by Daemon but I want to fight-a-this war. Those who stay will..."

"Continue the tournament!" Master Hand declared.

Peach and Luigi became scared, those two will never stay and be plumetted by the other fighters, especially the evil ones. That made Peach say to him "What're you going to do with Bowser and Ganondorf and the others...?"

"Don't forget, sweetheart. I'm a Guardian, I'll hold them back until the battle is over."

Luigi sighed with relief.

"Let's get them before this world gets sealed. Who's with me?" Samus declared.

Everyone raised their hands.

"Alright, let's-a-go!" Mario said with delight.

As he did everyone did their battle poses. Before Master Hand disappeared, he wished them all good luck. "I''m counting on all of you!"

"Okay, we'll cover more ground if we split up. I'll use my ship and head to the Space Sector. Mario you go to Hyrule, then the F-Zero Sector. Luigi since you're...less bolder than your brother, Peach will go with you. Gather the warriors in the Sectors that are close to you. I'll get the rest of them since they are like miles away. We must hurry before the System is closed. We'll meet back here as soon as we get everyone. Alright, let's do this!"

They all laid their hands on top of each other, and as they yelled "Go, SMASHERS!" they were off.

Samus cruised in her ship, Mario took a Warp Pipe, and Luigi and Peach used another one. They all went their seperate ways to get whoever is willing to save the Net.

* * *

Samus was the first who gathered the most Smashers. She first stopped by at Corneria where Fox McCloud and Falco Lombardi were fighting on top of the Great Fox. She could see that some Arwings and Wolfens were shooting them. As the two combatants saw the yellow mothership, they immediately stopped.

"Hold your fire!" Falco ordered.

"At ease! Stop shooting, it's Samus!" Fox added. Sure enough they did.

Samus stood on the roof and shouted to them since the other ships' engines were roaring "Hey! Fox, Falco, I need your help! You have to use your Arwings and come with me, right now!"

"Where are you going?" Fox asked.

"I'm going to pick up more fighters. There is a war going on and I need reinforcements!"

"What kind of war?" Falco questioned.

"A friend of mine needs us. A super-virus named Daemon is threatening and infecting the Net with The Word. She needs us to delete her, most of the Guardian Collective has been manipulated already. Mainframe is her next target, and so is this world."

Fox almost knew what Samus was talking about. "A super virus? And she's infecting the Net? I guess we'll help you."

Falco asked "Just for curiousity, who needs our help?"

"Master Hand and...Akari!"

That got their attention, clearly they were needed. Fox declared "Alright, we'll get in our Arwings right now."

Samus ordered "Okay, but he needs only you two; no on else."

They wondered why they can't use the rest of the Star Fox team. She answered that they are her only hope in defending the System and not create more victims. They agreed and hopped to the lower deck and went in the back hatch.

They ran down the hallway, almost the same style as they did in their last adventure, and met up with Peppy, Slippy, and ROB in the cockpit.

"We're heading to Mainframe, after we stop by the Mushroom Kingdom. You guys stay and protect Corneria from enemy invasion. Understood?" Fox declared.

"You got it, Fox." Peppy saluted.

"Be careful out there." Slippy added.

"Affirmative, we'll be fine." ROB said.

"Good luck, Starfox!" They all cheered as the two pilots ran to their Arwings. They took off and headed to the rendezvous point.

* * *

Then Samus headed to Onett where Mewtwo and Ness were fighting in the city. They were in front of a tall building and there was a clothing to the right, and a house to the left. Plus there were a lot of traffic which narrowly ran over the competitors. What the Psychic Pokemon was trying to do is use his Psi Magnet properly so he could convert enemy fire into restorative energy. He kept using Shadow Balls to make it work, until Samus barged in.

As the ship landed, the sign and the two roofs fell to the street. And Ness perked "Hey! It's the bounty hunter, Samus Aran! What's up?"

She landed near them and asked for their help "Listen closely, a war is starting. The person who is responsible is a super virus named Daemon. She's infected everyone in the Guardian Collective, except Matrix and my best friend, Bob. Mainframe will eventually be her next target, which is now sealed by a Firewall. Soon, this world will be too. We need to gather warriors from various locations and who is willing to fight Daemon and save this System from infection. Are you with me?"

As Samus was talking, Mewtwo had a few flashbacks about Mainframe and Matrix.

He was once summoned to Mainframe, back when Akari was a Pokemon Trainer. During that time Bob wasn't around and Megabyte and Hex both got encased in a Firewall Enzo made. It was his job to protect him as a Game Cube fell. He could never get rid of the regret when he failed to do so against the Fire Demon. It was due to the fact he wasn't chosen for the fight. Now that he's alive, he'll try his best to save him again.

"So, Daemon is going to infect Mainframe and this world, eh?" Mewtwo said as he absorbed the info. "Did Akari send you here?"

Samus nodded and replied "Yes. She needs us to protect the Net from Daemon's ongoing infection, or The Word. God I hate that name!"

"She...only wants me, right? I mean since she's going through growing pains, it may be hard for her to use all the Pokemon she once trained. So, I'll go. To protect the Pokemon, Mainframe, and the entire Net!" he declared.

"I'll help too. I could use my psychadelic powers to slow Daemon down." Then Ness thought to himself _I hope my training has paid off._

"You ready?" Mewtwo asked, but Ness wasn't paying attention. "Ness!"

"Uh-yeah! I'm ready." Mewtwo looked stern. "This isn't a game anymore. You'll have to use your powers on your own. There's no turning back. Got it?"

Ness nodded "Yes, sir!"

Samus lead the two warriors inside the cockpit and she took off to Dream Land.

* * *

As she landed she warped up Kirby who was stuffing himself with fallen apples from the Whispy Woods Tree. She caught him just in time as the tree started to blow Kirby away, like a balloon caught in a strong updraft.

"It's alright, Kirby. You're with us now." Samus reassured as she continued to look for more recruits. She and the others explained their perdicament to the confused, pink puffball.

* * *

Mario went to the kingdom of Hyrule where a destroyed castle loomed in the distance. To him and his fighters, it was instead known as the Hyrule Temple. It was a long way to go as he traveled through a maze. From there he had to fight a variety of enemies including Redeads, Octoroks, even various copies of Link. There were four sections in the Maze and one of them was the way out. The remaining rooms had those Link copies, but by the time he crossed ove a massive lava pit, he found a door with the symbol of a Triforce on it. He went outside and he saw Link and Zelda fight Ganondorf. He decided to help and as they defeated the powerful warlock he explained his perdicament.

They agreed to go and Link told him that his younger counterpart is somewhere in Termina. He found an old Warp Pipe and found the child there, standing lonely on a pier looking over the bay. Only the Warp Pipe was actually a part of the Turtle Island's mouth. As it belched, Mario, Link, and Zelda flew out and landed on the red balloon where Tingle was hanging. As Link landed after the plumber and the princess, his sword poked it and they plumetted to the cold, hard concrete.

As the trio came to, Young Link was astonished of seeing his adult self. "Hey, what are you doing here!? Or should I say...What are WE doing here!?"

The older Link looked just as perplexed. "It's my younger self...and that's Tingle. Sorry about that." he said as he scratched the back of his neck. Tingle just smiled and wandered away.

The kid was still not getting over his nostalgia. "I can't believe it. How did you get to Termina? And...is that Princess Zelda?"

"Yes." she greeted and introduced him to Mario. "I've never seen you around here."

"It's-a-long story, but we have ta get moving. There is a great-a-evil that's coming." he explained.

He told him about Daemon and why they were recruited by Samus and the Master Hand. Apparently, Young Link has never heard of them before so the trio made a long explanation as they walked on.

* * *

Luigi and Peach were walking into a jungle and as they got to a clearing, they saw an enormous happy tree. It was literally happy as it had a gigantic, smiling heart at the top. It also grew a huge assortment of fruits. Just then they saw a green dinosaur with a saddle walk up and smell the tree. He curiously looked at a honeydew melon and as fast as lightning, he used his tongue like a chameleon's and ate it. The strangest thing was that as soon as it was gone, another one grew back in its place. Realizing he was full he walked off, but not before the green plumber and the princess could stop him.

"Yoshi!" They both shouted with glee.

The confused dinosaur perked up and looked at the new strangers.

_Who are they?_ he thought to himself.

As if reading his mind, Luigi spoke "It's me! You're good friend, Luigi! This is Princess Peach. You helped save her from Bowser, remember?"

The green dino scratched his chin in confusion; clearly he had no idea who the two fighters were.

"Maybe he doesn't remember us..." Peach wondered.

"Or, mabe it's a different Yoshi." Luigi added. "Either way, you're coming with us."

In response he shrugged his arms and followed them, since he had nothing else to do. He then saw a Koopa Troopa with a blue shell. His stomach growled again and he swallowed it in about three nanos. Just then two pegasus wings appeared on his back. Rather than walking he decided to have Luigi and Peach ride his back. At first it was uncomfortable since there were two riders on his small back, but eventually they made room. Soon they were on their way to the other Sectors as Yoshi flew through the clear, blue sky.

* * *

"How did we get here?" Zelda asked as she and her friends wandered on a long race track overlooking a massive ocean. According to the flashing banner above the starting line, the header read: Big Blue.

"I guess that-a-Power Star wasn't a Power Star, after all. It seemed ta have us warped here." Mario concluded.

"But...where is here?" Young Link queried.

Just then they heard a sound like they've never heard before. And they saw a huge number of racecars closing fast.

"What do we do? We can't get run over by them!" Link said.

Frantically Mario searched for a platform and he found one soaring a few feet over the track. They immediately jumped on it as the F-Zero machines sped right underneath them. The platform shook as they raced past it.

"That was close." Young Link said.

"We need ta find Captain Falcon. He's one of our comrades, and he drives the Blue Falcon." Mario explained.

"How do we know if it's his?" Zelda asked.

"We just need to find a blue machine with a long, narrow nose. And it has the numbers 07. I think I saw him lead the other racers. He's famous for his winnings after all."

So they waited about ten nanos until they saw only one machine head toward them. Clearly the race was over and one of the pilots was doing his victory lap.

"Just like the good ol' days." Mario said as he reminisced how he kept winning in his Grand Prix. He slipped down and landed back on the track. The Smashers gasped

"What're you doing?"

"Get back up there!"

"Are you crazy?"

Mario reassured them. "It's alright-a-. I'm just waiting for Falcon to show up. Then I'll ask for his help."

"Don't get run over!" Zelda screeched.

As the Blue Falcon was slowing down on the finish line, Mario rushed over to it, along with the others on his tail. Curious Falcon looked out from his vehicle and saw Mario, Link, Young Link, and Zelda run toward him. He jumped out and greeted them. "Wassup?"

"Hey-a, Falcon. Listen we have some urgent news to tell you." Mario stated. "We need you to come with us."

Falcon was irritated. "Awww. I'm just about to receive my first-place trophy-"

"Receive it later. We need your Blue Falcon and head back to Samus' ship." Link said.

The F-Zero champion hesitated as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Well...I guess it could be delivered to my hideout in Port Town, so I guess I'll get it later. Who's causing all this trouble, Black Shadow?"

"We'll tell you on the way there. The rendezvous point is at Mushroom Kingdom." Mario said.

"Alright, let's go!"

Falcon jumped back in his seat with Mario and the others. In the speed of light, the Blue Falcon took off to their destination.

* * *

In the mountainous desert of Archanea, which wasn't too far from Hyrule, lived a distinctive young prince named Marth. He was a legendary nobleman who was most famous in combat. His trusty sword, the Falchion, never failed. In fact, when enemies are attacked from the tip, they usually get weakened or deleted quite easily. However, Marth wasn't in the mood for fighting. He was alone looking over the castle's balcony as he sadly watched over his domain.

What bothered the young prince was the humiliation and embarassment he felt after that spar with his rival, Link, back at the Hyrule Temple. He lost the bout and even worse, the Hero of Time's popularity had multiplied drastically. He was later chosen for the search of the legendary sword, Soul Calibur, which was the only blade that would bring peace to the world by defeating the weilder of the unholy blade, Soul Edge. Since then, his recognition was astronomical, leaving Marth in the dust. Sure he was a person of interest in his homeworld, but unfortunately not as much as his bitter opponent.

He sighed as he thought aloud "When will I be as good as him..."

Then he thought about another swordsman around his age who was also famous for his work. That warrior had a close connection with Marth, as he was famous in the neighboring land of Elibe. He always wanted to meet him directly but his duties kept him limited to Archanea. Oh, how he wished he would venture beyond its borders and be more recognizable. "Someday I'll be as famous and well-liked as Link...Someday."

Just then he saw somene run to his castle. He had short, brown hair, blue armor, and a red cape. He had a different-colored sword known as the Sword of Seals. He was well-known in Elibe and his name was Roy. As he requested to the castle guards he waved to Marth. Like him, he wanted to see the hero he wanted to meet. But, he was not alone. Luigi, Peach, and Yoshi were right behind him.

"Marth! Is that you!?" Startled to see his prodigy he yelled back

"Uh-yeah! I'll be right down!" Sure enough he did as he ran down the stone stairs as fast as his feet could carry him. He was as happy as a kid stoming down the stairs for Christmas presents.

He dashed through the main gates and after a few moments, they hugged each other as if they were two long lost brothers.

Luigi sighed "I wish my brother was just as fond with me."

"Awww, isn't it sweet?" Peach complimented.

As they parted the two warriors introduced themselves. Eventually the conversation got a little too long and Luigi was getting impatient.

"Um, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but...We've got trouble."

Marth was confused. "Trouble?"

"What trouble?" Roy added just as curious.

"T-there's something scary goin' on. It could destroy us all."

"What're you saying, Luigi?" Marth asked.

As a true friend, Roy explained everything to him. "Well, it's kind of a long story. There's an incoming threat that could manipulate us, including others. The culprit is Daemon, a super virus they say."

"Super...virus? Can it make you sick?" Marth asked, clueless.

Roy reasoned with him. "No. Actually, it's what Master Hand and Samus called it. It's a virus that could infect worlds...er, Systems they call them. It can cause massive destruction and, like the fall of the Lycian Army, it could dominate and make civilians do her own bidding. Worse it could...delete...or kill anyone who poses a threat. Eventually she'll invade our world, and Samus wants us to stop her."

Roy paused a few nanoseconds as Marth tried to take everything in. "Hey, maybe it could give you the recognition you've been yearning to have for all these years, eh?"

"Yeah, I guess." Marth said, still in a daze.

Yoshi chimed "Come on, guys. Let's head back to rendezvous, and stop that virus!" He excitedly did some punches and kicks as he was ready for battle.

"Alright, but what should we use?" Marth asked.

"You could use his wyvern, sire." One of the guards said as he was pulling an enormous white dragon with the reins.

"Great! Now I have a flying buddy!" Yoshi beamed.

"He's all yours. Good luck on your journey, and don't worry about him getting lost. He'll always find his way back."

"Thanks." Marth said as he was the first to climb on its back along with Roy.

Like a horse, he used the reins to make it lift off and with a roar, it flew along with Yoshi who still had his pegasus wings.

* * *

On the northern part of the Smash System was a 25,000 foot mountain. It was known as the treacherous Icicle Mountain, and it was the common place where two children compete. It was the turf for a boy in a blue parka, wielding a wooden hammer. His name was Popo. There was also a girl with a pink parka, who also wielded a wooden hammer. Her name was Nana, and together, they were known as the Ice Climbers. They've been the best of friends as far as they could remember and they've been training at this same mountain, however, they never reached the summit because of its slippery slopes, fierce inhabitants, and the extreme cold.

Those things never discouraged the two travelers and Popo had an idea. "Hey, Nana, want to have a race?"

"A race?" she repeated.

"Yeah. Whoever gets to the highest peak of this mountain wins. Whadda ya think?"

She smiled as she spoke with enthusiasm "So it's a challenge! This should be fun!"

"Hey, don't forget, you're talking to a professional mountain climber here!" Popo said as he pointed to himself.

"Then I'm going to be just like the mountain climber, if I win, that is. Or should I say, WHEN I win!"

They both giggled and Popo started the race as he said "1, 2, 3, Go!"

They both hopped up the mountain as they tried to conquer the harsh elements. They showed no fear as they never cared how high they were, or when they came face to face with monstrous polar bears or annoying Tapis. Sometimes there were a few obstacles to overcome like avoid being frozen stiff by Freezies or knocking through massive ice blocks. They continued on and as they went further the gentle snowfall transformed instantly into a blinding blzzard. There was hardly any visibility and the temperature just kept dropping. But the two never gave up. They kept trekking up to the summit.

Faster and faster they climbed until Popo accidentally slipped and lost his footing. The small icy plaform started to break, but before he plumetted, he was grabbed by his best friend, Nana, who was smiling to see him. He grinned right back and she pulled him up. They finally reached the summit and they kept jumping and shouting with excitement as they made their accomplishment.

"Wow! I can't believe we did it, Nana!"

She gleamed "You said it, Popo!"

The snow was blown away as an Arwing was landing next to them.

Fox was piloting it and he yelled over the harsh wind "Hey! Hurry up and get in, it's freezing out here!"

They looked at each other and nodded and they quickly boarded the fighter jet. Fox wanted to quickly leave this place before the engines freeze. It boosted and the trio were off to the rendezvous point.

* * *

There was one more fighter left to pick up and that was the biggest one of all, almost equivalent to Bowser. He has been Mario's rival for decades, but he eventually quit the competition as he had his own claim to fame. With a funky rap song that can't be beat he is the first member of the crew known as the Kongs. He's the great ape wearing a touchy red tie with the letters DK on it. He's the one and only, Donkey Kong!

Unfortunately he wasn't found bashing Kremlings or swinging from vine to vine in the dense jungle. Instead he was inside his treehouse, sleeping like a log and snoring like it was no one's business.

Mario, Captain Falcon, and the rest of the gang knew where to go. Luckily for them, the all-time rival knew where he'd be and knew what he was doing. It was a typical day and he knew it, which was why he complained as he was hand picked to awaken the ape.

"Ohhh, why do I have ta wake him up? He'll get awfully mad if he notices that he's being woken up from his arch rival." Mario whined.

"Yes, and that's why we've chosen you in the first place. No one knows about Donkey Kong more besides you." Falcon explained.

"Besides, we want him as our last recruit to go against Daemon." Link added.

Mario sighed."Alright, alright, I'll do it..."

He mumbled as he was jumping up the ledges to the top. The opening was covered by a thick curtain and he tossed it out of the way as he came through. Inside there was a lot of junk, plus some banana peels scattered all over the wooden floor. Mario barely slipped on one as he snuck towards DK's bed. There was even a portrait that had a female monkey wth long, blonde hair, heavy makeup and lipstick, and a two-piece pink outfit on a skinny body. He realized it was DK's girlfriend, Candy Kong, whom he makes fun of when she's not around. As he literally reached to the circular bed, which was barely big enough to fit the ape's huge stature, he shook his arm a few times. He then put his arm aside and mumbled in his sleep, and he continued snoring.

_Wow. I didn't realize he was such-a heavy sleeper._ the plumber thought.

But he kept trying as he once did his fighting stance to get his attention. That never worked, then he tried the unthinkable. He used some fireballs, which was strange since he didn't have a Fire Flower in his possession. However, DK swapped them away like flies, leaving him in a deep sleep once again.

As he was about to give up, Young Link shouted "Hey, Mario, come here. We've got an idea."

Surely he did as he jumped off the treehouse to the ground below where the group was waiting.

"My little partner's got a plan." Link said.

"Yes, but this is going to take some of our cunning." Zelda added.

"No. All of our cunning." Falcon said. They huddled up as they whispered their ideas.

A few short minutes later, they went straight to work. First, Falcon parked his Blue Falcon next to the bottom entrance where stacks and STACKS of bananas were resting. Falcon took a bunch, then Mario, next Link, Zelda, and Young Link. As they grabbed the handfuls they loaded them inside the machine.

"How's this-a-gonna work?" Mario asked curiously.

"Well, monkeys, especially apes are...more likely to have a strong sense of smell. Not like a dog's but more than the average bear." Falcon said. "Anyways, we take the bananas away in my machine, right? Now, I'm hoping that DK will notice the odor of the bananas. I mean, hell they're as ripe as any banana I've ever seen. So, basically we're luring DK to us." He gave an evil sneer.

Mario was outraged. "What?! DK is going to pummel us!"

"That's the idea!" Falcon reassured. "Besides he's not as fast as my Falcon Punch."

"I guess we could try..." Mario said, still uncertain.

"It'll work trrrrust me." Sure enough, everyone climbed into the Blue Falcon and it took off, starting really slowly.

From the ventillation, the aroma was like a yellow haze which was rising to the upmost floor of the treehouse. It then entered the room and DK sniffed it. However, he was still asleep. He murmured "Urgh...Wrinkly are you making your famous banana-custard cake again..?"

Then he started to sleepwalk toward the rear of his room, knocking over objects in the process. Eventually he hit a wall and took a deep sniff. That was when the gang's plan really started to work.

He immediately opened his huge eyes and snarled as he made an angry face. One thing was for certain, if there was a strong scent like that, it meant the bananas have been stolen. He rushed to the edge, looking for tracks. He found none, but off in the distance he saw a blue F-Zero car race away leaving the aurora in its trail. In his rage, he let out a menacing roar as he pounded his chest, scaring all the birds away, including a few red parrots.

He jumped from his perch and ran as fast as any normal ape would go, following the stolen banana scent.

Mario looked in the rear view mirror as he was riding shotgun. "It's him! He's closing on us!"

"Our plan's working! Just sit tight." Falcon said.

With a few miles of running and swinging, DK finally caught up. He, however, went ahead as he hopped from tree to tree, preparing the ambush. He later landed several feet from the runaway machine and he used his Ground Quake as he slapped the ground. The car felt it and it spun out of control. As it stopped DK wanted to wait and see the perpetrators, but he changed his mind. He lifted the machine with all his strengh and looked through the window.

"AAAAHHH!" The fighters yelped as they looked into the two menacing eyes. After a few nanoseconds, he slammed the machine to the ground, leaving the occupants disoriented.

As they came to, he wound up for his special move, the Giant Punch. If he gathered enough momentum, he would send anyone or anything flying regardless how big. They noticed it and they were scared, but Falcon was still pretty confident.

"What do we do!"

"Do something!"

"Some plan, Falcon..."

"This was a great idea..."

To quiet the mumbling he told them "Shut up! I know what I'm doing." He leaped out of the driver's seat and met up with the great primate.

"Grrrr! You stole my bananas?! You're going to pay!" DK said in anger.

Falcon didn't flinch, he stood like a trophy as he stomped closer. At the last nanosecond before DK unleashed his fury, Falcon did his work.

"FALLLCOOON PUUUUNCHHHH!" He threw his right fist against DK's chest as a radiant light shaped like a falcon appeared. They could've sworn that they heard a screech as he made his move.

Surprised, DK was flown across the jungle floor and hit a tree which made a beehive land on his head. The bees got angry as they buzzed louder. "AAAARRRRGGHH!" DK ran with it as he tried to break loose, the bees continued to sting him. Finally he used all his brutality to toss the hive off his head and throw it aside.

The great ape was pissed to the teeth. He stomped toward the group again, but Mario stopped him in his tracks. "Whoa-a-Donkey Kong. We weren't trying to actually steal the bananas."

"Oh YEAH?! Then what was all this for?"

"We just wanted to wake you up so you could join us on our..."

Young Link thought. _Wait. I can't say war because that would upset him..._

He spoke again. "Ummm, we just want you to fight with us in this...new tourney" His face beamed as he fibbed.

"Baggh! I can't stand another tourney. What does this all mean?" DK snorted.

"It means saving the world." Link clarified. "Besides...you don't want anything to happen to your bananas, would you?"

"No! Not my bananas!" DK begged on his knees. "Please! I'll do aything to protect my bananas. I'll do anything, ANYTHING!"

"Whoa...some strong ape you are." Falcon murmurred.

"What should I do?" DK asked, choking to keep back the tears.

"Follow us." Mario suggested.

Back at the banana horde, all the yummy fruits were returned and DK got the memo.

"Ahh, I see. You were setting me up so I could be recruited by Master Hand and Samus at the Mushroom Kingdom. Ahhh...It'll be nice to see Akari again, I wonder what she's doing now." he thought.

"Enough talk, let's go!" Falcon saluted as the team, except DK, climbed inside again. The great ape, however, was riding on the roof, right between the two wings.

"Hold on tight! Mushroom Kingdom here we come!" Falcon shouted. The car was off to the rendezvous point where all the other Smashers are waiting.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the incredibly long chapter; there was a lot to do in getting the Smashers ready for the war. I decided to take a break from the main storyline for awhile, this is a Smash Bros. X-over too, you know. Anyway, the next chapter will get back to the Reboot story, though at times it'll probably switch in between. Hope you lke it so far, especially the hilarious jokes with DK. Until next time, Ciao.**


	6. Hatching a Plan?

**Chapter 6 - Hatching a Plan?**

The recruited Smashers have reached their destinaton. Samus' ship, the two Arwings, the Warp Star, Marth's wyvern, Yoshi with his pegasus wings, Mewtwo taking off like a rocket using his Psychic energy, and the Blue Falcon are cruising toward the tower of Peach's castle. They all landed and gathered around as they awaited Master Hand's final instructions.

"So what do we do now?" Falcon asked.

"We just have to wait for Master Hand to show up." Samus replied.

"I sure hope Mr. Game &amp; Watch is okay." Roy said as he just discovered his fate from Marth.

Samus was the most uptight. "C'mon, Master Hand. How long do we have to wait before we get closed from a Firewall. Please hurry..."

As if reading her mind the other comrades grew just as grim. Where was the Master Hand when they needed him?

Just then, there was a ball of light in the sky and an enormous red orb emerged in its place. They realized it was the Firewall.

They started to mope."The Firewall has closed the Sysem..." Samus concluded.

"We're too late." Mario sighed.

"Not quite yet!" There was this booming sound again and the Master Hand appeared just above the Smashers. He looked at them, curiously. "Why are you all so glum? There is still a way out of here."

"No. There isn't. The world is sealed in a Firewall." Fox said.

"Besides, only a hacker can get us out. Or maybe someone who could form portals." Falco added.

"Hmm. Have you forgotten?" Master Hand said. "I'm the Guardian of this System, and a living Key Tool. All I need is a tear."

Samus lightened up and started to scan for it. Through the visor, she saw an orb filled with erratic energy, inside Peach's steeple! She explained that it's there and grew morbid again.

Peach knew what she had to do. "Go ahead, Samus. If it's for our world...so be it."

The bounty hunter took a deep breath and ordered the Master Hand to shoot the steeple apart. The Smashers moved aside as his index finger aimed toward it. In a blink of an eye, his finger shot out a laser beam which made the steeple explode. Everyone covered their eyes as debris rained down on them. After a few nanoseconds the smoke cleared and a tear appeared.

"So, this is a tear." Fox said, amazed.

"I've never seen anything like it." Link added.

"Great! Now for the portal!" Kirby said, excited.

Master Hand opened his palm and an enormous amount of energy shot out. The portal appeared where the tear was; however, it only shown the vast space of the Web.

"This is the farthest I can make the portal, since Mainframe has been-Wait!" The Guardian boomed again.

"What is it, Master Hand?" Zelda ased, concern ringing in her voice.

"Something's wrong." he replied.

* * *

Matrix and AndrAIa were in the Desert Port System. They've just got a signal to close the door and protect it from infection like they did with the Smash System. They have surveyed the damage.

"Just like the last two. Open System, trashed port." Matrix explained.

"The Guardian's calling card." AndrAIa added.

"I'll plant the sectors first. We're running out of time. Where's the portal gonna open?"

AndrAIa pointed to a damaged sector. "Down there, loading Bay 2."

Just as they were about to investigate, they stopped. "What is it? What have you heard?" Matrix asked.

"A power build-up, coming from the Control Tower."

Despite the damaged System, the tower was still intact. "Sparky, it's still functioning. It's a trap!"

"Let's get out of here!" Matrix yelled.

They were too late, as the tower shot a beam of energy which closed the Door and trapped them in the Net. To make matters worse, five Guardian airships were in persuit.

Mr. Game &amp; Watch was looking through a window in the storage room. As he did he looked for Matrix and AndrAIa. As he found them, flying away from the ship, he let out a ringing noise in triumph. Now all he has to do is save them from this madness.

_But how...?_ he thought.

* * *

Back in Mainframe, Akari was receiving the news from Samus. She was so busy that she didn't notice Enzo and the others persue the incoming Game Cube dropping on the Kits Sector. She thought it was strange that the User can still load a Game, even if the System is sealed.

Shortly after she heard Little Matrix's cries as Mouse apprehended him. "Put me down! This is no way to treat a renegeade!"

Then she eavesdropped on the conversation in the War Room. Mouse was discussing her perdicaments with Phong.

"Bob and Dot are caught in the Game." Phong said.

"Don't sweat it, they'll be fine." Mouse reassured.

"But, Bob is unwell."

"Then Dot will take the User out."

"And the countdown near zero...We need Bob to open the portal. Or Matrix and AndrAIa will be trapped in the Net!"

Mouse was clearly stunned by he news. "Now...you got me there."

_What 'countdown' is he talking about? The portal? _Akari thought. Then her thoughts shifted to Bob. _Ohh...I hope Bob wil make it out alright. I am worried about his condition..._

As she immediately shook it off, she headed out and looked at the roof of the Principal's Office. Eventually the portal will show up soon. "It'd better before they get themselves captured by Daemon..." she thought aloud as she remembered Game &amp; Watch's message.

* * *

Meanwhile Matrix and AndrAIa were involved in the middle of a fray with the surviving Guardian Armada. Game &amp; Watch observed with horror as he watched each of the sprites' ships go down. The first was AndrAIa's, and she ran to a nearby warehouse with the Guardians on her tail. Soon after Matrix followed as he landed his motorbike and ran to the secret hideout.

Since the ships landed, it was his perfect opportunity to finally "get out of this dump." He didn't want the soldiers to see him, so he stayed underneath the ship.

Inside, Matrix stalled his ride's engine and AdrAIa asked "What took you?"

He answered "Traffic's murder out there."

"No. The traffic isn't murder. The Guardians aren't trying to delete us. None of the tanks have fired a shot."

Matrix got the idea. "They're not ON a search and destroy mission."

"It's search and retrieve." It was quite strange that their last motto was "Divide and Render." Now they've changed their plans.

Matrix took out his Gun. "Well, they could try."

AndrAIa wasn't quite finished yet. "Put Gun away, those are unarmed Guardians. Not Users or viruses. Remember what Bob said, there are better ways."

In his impatience, he asked sarcastically "Bob! Where's Bob and the portal now?"

She retorted "Well I don't think Bob's abandoned us, do you?" Clearly, she won that round."So the portal's just late, it'll still arrive."

"Yeah. But out there, we're in here."

She then strategized her plan. "So, we have to go out there, take on the Guardians, hand to hand. We'll be ready to jump into the portal when it arrives. There's only seventy-eight of them, I've been counting." she winked.

"Seventy-eight to two. and you don't want me to use Gun? Y'know something I don't?"

"Look what I'm sitting on?" AndrAIa revealed an enormous crate and inside was an Exoskeleton. There was the same crate located in the back of the warehouse. They prepared themselves for the battle of their lives.

* * *

Back at the Kits Sector, the Game ended with no nullification. Akari rushed inside the apartment where she found a weakened Guardian, Dot, and Hexadecimal with a new look. She wasn't wearing her brown skin, but rather white and gold. Even she was surprised of how much she's changed!

Dot asked "What happened to my father? The Null Cocoon?"

Apparently the virus had no iota of what she was saying. "What...Null Cocoon?"

"Is that why?" Akari wondered.

She saw Bob struggle as he walked before he collapsed. "The portal..."

Luckily Dot was there to catch him. She then ordered Hex to take Bob and make a portal while she goes into the War Room. The virus closed her eyes and used her powers, but to no avail.

"Please, Hex. I know we have our differences, but I need you to do this." Dot said.

"What's the matter?" Akari asked.

"But I've just tried and I'm still here...and I can't fly. Dot...I've lost my powers. How do I get in there?" Hex queried.

"Uh..." Akari looked around and saw Bob's car. It was painted blue and it was fully charged. "You could use that." she pointed to it.

"I've...never driven before. But I've always driven you crazy!" Hex cackled but everyone, except Akari, were dead serious. Bob was fading fast and Hex was right on it. Her skills, though, were as bad as Dissidia Duodecim's plot. She could barely get the car out of the room...or the apartment altogether.

"Geez Hex, you do know how to drive us crazy..." Akari sighed in disgust. Clearly this wasn't the time to be fooling around.

* * *

Game &amp; Watch was still waiting for the two sprites. Sure enough they emerged with the humongous Exoskeletons.

"Hello, boys." AndrAIa challeneged.

The weirdest thing was that when a person moved his/her arms, the machine does it too as Matrix spoke "If any one wants to surrender, now's the time."

Just then, one of the Guardians took his helmet off, revealing light-blue skin and a short, blonde hairdo. Like all the others, he, too, was infected; he was also the leader of the foot soldiers and was the current Prime Guardian.

"Turbo!" Matrix gasped in shock.

He was oblivious of what's going to happen as he smiled while his eyes glazed.

* * *

The ball over the Principal's Office started to open as Bob's car soared to it. This was the portal generator and it was the only way to let Matrix and AndrAIa escape. The car almost fell as it stopped.

"Okay, what should I do now?" Hex asked politely.

Bob started to sit up but immediately jolted back as he started to fade again.

"Not good. This is not good." she mumbled.

* * *

The Guardians came onto the Skeletons like bugs on a web, but the sprites shook them off with little effort. Matrix grabbed Turbo during the fray, and he was pissed to the teeth.

"Traitor! You were supposed to help us!"

In a calm, though strange tone, he replied "But I am, son. It's time to stop fighting. You've been fighting all your life. Let The Word give the life you so likely deserve. Trust me..."

* * *

At the Master Clock, Daemon and Daecon were watching the assault unfold. Everyone was getting thrown around and the super virus had to stop it. "Lock onto Turbo's icon. Send a Zoom Room before someone gets deleted."

The infected army was closing on AndrAIa. Apparently, since Matrix had Turbo in his clutches, they wanted to back away.

"Matrix! I could some help here!" she shouted.

After a few nanoseconds they gained up on Matrix, too. In fact, he was so busy that he didn't see a Zoom Room heading his way. But AndrAIa did and behind them, the portal appeared. Game &amp; Watch couldn't take the chaos any longer, he was helpless against a numerous army, especially when they were ten times his size.

He scampered to Matrix's Skeleton and almost instantly, AndrAIa pushed them through the opening just before the Zoom Room got her. Together, Matrix, Turbo, and Game &amp; Watch fell back into Mainframe with a thud.

"AndrAIa!" Matrix yelled as he held out a hand to catch her.

But it was too late; the portal was gone. "No! AndrAIaaaaa!"

The two-dimensional figure threw a tantrum and Akari ran up to the group to see what the problem was.

"Matrix, you're alright. But where's-Turbo! What in the Net?!"

She was outraged now that he has succumbed to the infection. She ordered a binome fleet to escort everyone to the Principal's Office. "And get that weak stuff outta here!" she said as they took Turbo to a prison cell. She looked closely and he didn't have Copland on him.

"So your Key Tool ran away too, huh? Good riddance!" she scolded.

Game &amp; Watch walked up to her and tapped her leg. She looked down, picked him up, and hugged him. "Oh, Mr Game &amp; Watch! Thank goodness you're safe! I was so worried...and so was Master Hand."

With his mouth open, he let out a ringing sound. He was very upset about something.

"What happened? Is Samus still okay? Has she gathered all the Smashers? Cause we could use them more than ever."

He nodded in approval, and let out anothe ringing sound.

"Something you want to show me?"

He took out a keypad and it showed the Master Clock. It was just as they feared; Daemon made her second catch and it WAS AndrAIa. In her Exoskeleton she tried to clobber Daemon with a single arm, but she spreaded her infection with just a fingertip. Green energy consumed her and the machine shut down. She landed and groveled "My Lady!"

"Ohhhh man! This is horrible." Akari said in fright. Then she heard her say "You've arrived...just in time."

Then the whole room was covered in green energy as Daemon unleashed her infection in ful force. The Net turned green, too, and so did the Systems as the Seeds began to burst. Those egg-shaped objects were used to spread the infection indirectly from closed Systems.

"So that's what these objects were used for." she observed. "I've gotta call-"

Game &amp; Watch shook his head and pointed to his palm.

"Master Hand? Are you sure?"

He pointed to her cell snug at her side.

"...Alright. I'll do it."

She made the unthinkable call as Dot, Mouse, and Phong were monitoring the spread at the War Room.

* * *

"What is she doing? She can't...It's impossible." Dot said as the pathways have turned green again. All her work suddenly just went down the drain.

"It gets worse." Mouse said. "Some of the Systems we've just sealed have gone viral."

"What! But how?"

"She must've had the power to do this all along. Why wait?" Phong asked.

"Net 92%...infected." Mouse concluded as a small bar appeared, reviewing the status. Suddenly the spreading stopped. "It's over. She didn't get it all. There are still small ports of closed Systems that are clean."

"Dot, what are we going to do?" Phong asked desperately. "Dot? Dot...? Dot!" But she just remained silent.

* * *

The Master Hand sulked at his findings. It was as if he had suddenly grown powerless.

"What's wrong, Master?" Samus asked, waiting to hear a response.

"What ever it is, it doesn't look good." Luigi answered.

"What should we do? Has Mainframe already been infected?" Fox queried.

"No...But the pathways have been...There's nowhere to run now." the Guardian sad in despair.

"But..we still can go, right?" Samus asked. "It's not too late. We can still fight!"

"Yeah." Everyone started to mumble all at once.

"No. We shouldn't..." Master Hand sighed. Everyone stopped as they listened to his words.

"Do not approach Mainframe. The spread of Daemon's viral infection...is causing critical damage to the Net. It has already consumed 92% of it."

Everyone started to panic and hope for a miracle, but they had none.

"All of our defenses have failed. All anti-viruses and Key Tools are powerless. The infection is manipulating our Guardians. We cannot survive unless there's some way to survive the infection. Deletion and defragmentation may be possible."

He stopped and sadly looked at his once faithful comrades. "Save your energy, save yourselves. Forgive me, I want to fight alongside you but...this war has already been lost. Avoid the System, Mainframe, at all costs." Then he slowly faded away. "Farewell, warriors..."

After that, he was never seen again.

All the compatriots have looked at each other with sorrowful eyes and their hopes gone. They then all looked at Samus for answers. All she did was cover her visor as she bowed her head.

"So the whole Net has been infected?" Peach asked in shock.

"No, he said that-a-92 percent has been infected." Mario reassured as he hugged an emotional princess.

"But...we haven't started investigating yet." Marth said. "I can't turn my back on those poor civilians now. No! We must fight!"

"I agree with you, Marth." Roy replied.

"But Master Hand said 'no.' I think he doesn't want us to get involved because of what happened to everyone else...I'm afraid to go and disobey him." Kirby cried.

Everyone started to mumble again as they reminisced their past failures. From the time when the Moon barely crashed on Termina, to the loss of a loved one in combat. They were all full of doubt and bitter sadness...except Falco. After he made a growl under his breath, he climbed to the top of the damaged tower, and declared in a stern tone.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys? Get a hold on yourselves and show some backbone!"

Everyone just looked at him with attentive, and some fearful, eyes.

"This isn't the time to be sulking and remembering our...past mshaps. This is the time that we should fight back! We are Smashers, not mere tools of war."

He then calmed down and spoke with a little sympathy, much to everyone's surprise."Okay, so a couple things went wrong, and Daemon has already caught some victims, and infected most of the Guardian Collective. Big deal! We can still stop her before we all experience Doomsday, whether we obey her or not. Bahhh! We'll never surrender to the likes of her."

Then he scratched his head in thought. "And I do wonder what she really looks like..."

Fox was the first to stand up. "Falco's right! We can't give up now. We've got a whole universe to protect! It may not be like the Lylat System, but hell yeah it's worth of saving."

Then he looked at his friends. "Don't remember the bad times, reminisce the good. Get yourselves back together...because we fight together."

"Speaking of together I...think you need to look down." Young Link said.

They did and all of their friends were cheering and whistling for them. From Mario's world, there were a lot of Yoshis and Toads, including a Toadete; Koopa the Quick; and Daisy who was cheering for Luigi. For DK, there was the entire Kong family, including Diddy Kong, and the animal buddies. From all the way in Hyrule, Saria was smiling and waving her arms in glee. Navi was with her, too, along with the Skull Kid, Tatl, and Tael. He wasn't quite the same without the Majora's Mask. The other Sages, Darunia, Princess Ruto, Impa, Nabooru, and Rauru, were standing and grinning for their heroes. The Chozo were applauding for their warrior, Samus. Meta Knight flew into the crowd and immediately got Kirby's attention. Slippy, Peppy, General Pepper, and R.O.B. were also there, cheering for their top pilots. The Pokemon, Pikachu, Pichu, and Jigglypuff, were hollering for Mewtwo. And Mew was sitting happily in a distant tree. Paula, Jeff, and Poo were all waving at Ness. He waved back and his alien sidekick, Mr. Saturn, peeped as he appeared from under his cap. A legendary swordsman with dark blue hair stepped up and saluted them, he was Ike.

"Well I'll be a monkey's uncle..." Falco exclaimed as he saw the size of the fans' gathering.

"See, you guys? They need us!" Fox said as he faced his comrades. As they looked, their faith was immediately restored.

Samus stepped in front of them and the crowd quieted. "Thank you all for coming. We couldn't have planned an assault on Mainframe and Daemon without your support. You've all shown us...who and what we're fighting for. We fight for freedom, for peace and prosperity, and to make a difference in our lives. But most of all, we fight for all of you. Our friends, family, and loved ones, who have shown us the way when we were alone. Well...we're not. Not anymore. Because we've learned to fight with each other, rather than against each other. And it was on that day that we united as a whole, which is what we'll do for this upcoming war. We're facing a grave enemy, one we've heard but never seen. And she has infected and manipulated many of our neighboring peoples. And we are the last hope for triumph. We'll do it! We'll fight this war to the very end, with all our strength, wisdom, and courage. We'll fight..."

She paused as she looked solemnly to everyone around her. She took a deep breath and said "and we shall WIN this war, and surpass The Word!"

Everyone below hollered as the fghters applauded for her declaration.

Mario and the others walked up to their fearless leader and bowed.

The audience silenced as General Pepper stepped in front. "Hey, everyone, tell them your strategy and your involvement in this Net War." he said to the spectators.

For everyone's surprise, Pikachu spoke...in English. She cleared her throat and spoke to Mewtwo "As a great leader, when we had a Pokemon Trainer, you taught us to fight as one in times of crisis. So I'd like to make this proposition; you can use all the Pokemon you want amongst the battlefield. Chikorita, Charizard, Electrode, even the legendary Pokemon. In this war, we are all willing to help in any way we can."

Pichu and Jigglypuff hollered in response.

"Thank you." Mewtwo said. "I shall do my best in protecting you all from Daemon's plot. I won't let you down!"

They cheered again.

Saria, the young Sage of the Forest, stepped up. "Link, both child and adult, and our beloved princess, you shall always be an inspiration for us. We, the six Sages, will channel our powers to you. The future depends on all of you and your friends. Good luck to you all." she said to all the Smashers.

The crowd roared once more, then Slippy came near. "Hey, guys. Just to let you know that our technology and weaponry are both ready. You can make easy access whenever you feel the need. But do not let Daemon and her cronies use them against you. Fox and Falco, be careful and god speed."

He did a single finger salute and the crowd applauded.

"Don't forget us to use as protection." The Toads said in unison to Peach. She blushed and the crowd started to laugh.

"Marth, Roy, everyone, fight. Fight with all your might. And do not let the super virus control you. We make our own destiny, not hers." Ike declared.

"Here, here!" everyone replied.

Just then Samus got a call from Akari in Mainframe. "Samus, it's me. I got Mr. Game &amp; Watch, and Daemon just infected AndrAIa. I should warn you she is a tough sprite to mess around with. Oh, and almost the entire Net has been infected, and Turbo is in custody. Please, Samus, be careful."

She then was typing on a keypad and a few images of the Desert Port System came up. "I'm downloading the information you need to get a head start. Samus, everyone...take care of yourselves."

The signal went dead and after a few nanos, the bounty hunter declared "My comrades...It's time. We must go to Mainframe and confront Daemon there."

She then faced the audience. "Everybody NOT going to Mainframe had better get off! This is a fight of the century, no for the millenium! Thank you all for your support. And may The User bless you all."

"And to never give up, and trust your instincts." Peppy added. Everybody went silent until Samus said farewell.

Everyone went inside their correspondng vehicles, except Falcon. Clearly his machine couldn't travel in cyberspace, so he used a remote control to summon his own ship, the Falcon Flyer. It was similar to the Blue Falcon but its body was more sleek and twice as big. The aircraft hovered over them and beamed them up from underneath. Falcon emerged in the cockpit and followed his comrades. One by one, they went inside the portal. Samus went first with most of the Smashers inside. Fox and Falco used their Arwings,Young Link was in the leader's plane. Kirby rode on his Warp Star, and Falcon used his Falcon Flyer while Ness rode shotgun.

It was off to Mainframe, and the real battle was about to begin!

* * *

**A/N: Well, that marks the end of Cross Nodes, or Roads. After another chapter, the third episode will commence. I hate the title of that episode because it's a song that involves Tina's broken relationship with Ike. Plus I watched the film of the same name, so it's really bad either way. That's why I'm not mentioning the episode, although in the next chapter it would describe The Epsiode with No Name. I'd rather call it the Revelation of Daemon.**

**Also since SSBM and Daemon Rising were made back in 2001, Krystal and other late characters won't be in the story. I'm just trying to make it time relevant. I greatly apologize for that. Stay tuned for the next chapter and as always R&amp;R please.**

**By the way, I changed the Character cast a bit. Instead of Lucas, who was from Mother 3 which was released in 2006, I replaced him with three others; Jeff, Poo, and Paulina, since I'm sticking to the games made in 2001. What was I thinking!?**


End file.
